structures of most diverse orientations, all engaging in an effervescent national debate regarding the future of the country. At the beginning of this post-1989 period, Dan Ioan Popescu was one of the founders of the Republican Party, holding the function of prime vice-president of this party for 2 years, between 1991–1993. In 1993 the Republican Party merged with the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), whose unofficial leader was the President of Romania, Ion Iliescu. Between 1995 and 2004, he was a key player in the internal strife within the party, and he became the vice-president of PDSR (party which later turned into PSD) as well as the President of the PSD Bucharest Organization. In 2004, PSD made an alliance with the Humanist Party of Romania (renamed later as the Conservative Party). In the autumn of 2004, the two parties lost the elections to the Justice and Truth Alliance. In opposition at that time, Dan Ioan Popescu decided to become a member of the Conservative Party and in 2006 he was elected its prime-vice-president. Affiliations to professional and nongovernmental organizations 1991–1998 : Vice-president of RENAR ( the Romanian Association for Accreditation - an institution that accredits the laboratories for trials and analysis in metrology, inspection bodies, bodies for certification of products, bodies for certification of personnel and bodies for certification of management systems for environment and quality, according to the European and international standards in force ) 1995–2000: Vice-president of the Administration Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania 1997–2001: President of the General Union of the Industrialists of Romania - UGIR-1903 2005 - to present: President of the foundation "The Club of the Industrialists of Romania" Membership in bilateral structures In the period 2000–2004, as Minister of Economy and Commerce, Dan Ioan Popescu co-chaired a series of intergovernmental commissions for economic cooperation: Co-president of the Romanian - Chinese Intergovernmental Bilateral Commission for commercial and economic cooperation Co-president of the Romanian -Thai Intergovernmental Bilateral Commission for commercial and economic cooperation Co-president of the Romanian - German Council for economic cooperation Co-president of Romanian - Egyptian the Intergovernmental Bilateral Committee for economic and technical cooperation Co-president of the Romanian - Iranian Bilateral Commission Co-president of the Romanian - Russian Intergovernmental Commission Co-president of the Romanian - Indian Intergovernmental Committee for economic, technical and scientific cooperation Co-president of the Romanian - Turkish Intergovernmental Commission Co-president of the Romanian-